“Seminole Action Coalition Serving Our Needy, S.A.C.S.O.N., is a faith-supported community organization working to help the public understand the issues of homelessness and collaborating with other nonprofits, businesses, government agencies and the community at large to end homelessness.”

SACSON is a Registered 501c3

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 95 Sanford, FL 32772

Phone: 407.790.0998

E-mail: SacsonSeminole@gmail.com

Web: sacson.wordpress.com

What we do:

* SACSON publishes the SACSON Information Card and distributes to government agencies, businesses, service-providers and individuals in need.

* SACSON is a member of the City of Sanford Task Force on Homelessness and Seminole County Community Conversation on Homelessness.

* SACSON promotes and encourages participation in free Wednesday Wash Days for the homeless.

* SACSON educates the community about the challenges of homelessness through our “Dessert and Coffee” forum.

Must watch: “60 Minutes” feature on homeless children in Seminole County Hard times generation: homeless kids For some children, socializing and learning are being cruelly complicated by homelessness, as Scott Pelley reports from Florida, where school buses now stop at motels for children who’ve lost their homes. Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7358670n#comments#ixzz1G0XeGfNQ ****************************************************************************************************************

Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars Scott Pelley brings “60 Minutes” cameras back to central Florida to document another form of family homelessness: kids and their parents forced to live in cars. Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7389750n#ixzz1m4pHobSH ****************************************************************************************************************

Jennifer Taylor of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida was the guest speaker and explained details about the Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), a database that tracks services provided to individuals.

HMIS not only helps quantify the extent of homelessness in the community, it also helps service providers measure their success in meeting the needs of clients, Taylor said.

Also, she said, the information a homeless person provides for one agency will be in the system and can be accessed by subsequent agencies that person turns to.

“They don’t have to tell their whole life story all over again,” she said.

The SACSON treasury has a balance of $2,764.80, including a $45 private donation, and a $500 donation by VITAS Healthcare that will likely be used to pay for Spanish-language information cards on services for the homeless.

SACSON exchanged 20 7-day Lynx passes for 71 all-day passes, which the group has determined can better serve the homeless.

Chair Parker announced that the Sept. 13 meeting would be dedicated to discussing SACSON’s history, goals, open officer positions and other such matters. She said it will be about “where we’ve been and where we’re going.”

Cynthia Miller from Lion of Judah House of Worship opened the meeting with a prayer.

Our Guest Speaker, Ms. Valeria Penny, Employment Specialist, gave a group tour of the Goodwill Sanford Job Connection Center. She described the various services and training programs offered such as computer classes, resume writing, local open jobs board, legal aid for ex-offenders, plus certificates of completion and $20 professional clothing voucher(s).

The group also toured the donation receiving area and the retail store, which provides funding for the Sanford Job Connection Center.

Jim Donovan, a philanthropic consultant and president of Donovan Management, Inc. spoke of his fundraising services, noting the availability of funding from Central Florida’s business community.

Grace and Grits (Bettie Sonnenberg) was given a monetary donation from SACSON for future needs.

The SACSON treasury has a balance of $2,719.80 after receipt of a $500 donation from VITAS Healthcare. Thank You!

Cynthia Miller closed the meeting with a prayer.

The next SACSON meeting is scheduled for August 9, 2016 at the Sanford Police Department.

The group continued to discuss the Homeless Services Network HMIS database. David Jeczala, community liaison with the Florida Department of Children and Families, said access to the database is required by grant providers such as HUD. The database provides a snapshot of the homeless community in the tri-county area and also helps minimize duplication of services.

For example, he said, the database would detect if someone applied more than once for rent or deposit assistance. It would also detect abuse of food pantries and similar services.
As SACSON is not a service provider, and the cost of the database is $300 a year after the end of the month, it was decided not to join at this time, Parker said.

Al Vargas discussed nonprofit Off The Streets programs in Connecticut, California and elsewhere, and said a similar program to help the homeless could work in Central Florida. But he said dealing with permitting requirements can be difficult.

Brian Brookins announced that True Health’s Sanford location on the 415 has a new mailing address of 4930 East Lake Mary Blvd., Sanford, FL 32771. In addition, True Health Express, 1120 SR 436, suite 1200, Casselberry opened earlier this year.

The SACSON treasury has a balance of $2,219.80

The next SACSON meeting is scheduled for July 12 at Goodwill’s Sanford Job Connection Center (SJCC) located at 4516 West State Road 46.

Patti Parker informed the group that SACSON could gain access to the Homeless Services Network HMIS database for $150 a year, but with a deadline of June 30. The confidential database lets service providers access information where clients have previously applied or received assistance.

David Jeczala, a community liaison with the Florida Department of Children and Families, questioned if this was a good use of the group’s money and time, since SACSON is a networking group rather than an actual service provider.

Parker said it could be a test to familiarize herself with the database and that information could be shared with SACSON members who do provide services. It was decided to table a decision for now.

The guest speaker was Angela Davies, community development director for the Compassion and Reconciliation (CARE) ministries at Northland Church, which includes efforts to help the homeless, those in jail or prison and ex-offenders and others in need via ResourcePoint.org, Life Hope, Homeless Initiative, and Jail and Re-entry ministries and programs.

The organization helps clients connect with intern social workers from University of Central Florida, where they can get help with such issues as budgeting, job hunting and financial assistance, Davies said.

“We try to look at the holistic situation, the whole person, what are their needs,” she said.

While it is not required that applicants be members of Northland, they must be regularly attending a house of worship.

Northland also provides parenting classes as well as childcare for working mothers of children up to the age of 2. Obviously, the demand for these services outweighs Northland’s resources, and there is a waiting list, she said. “We can’t help everyone.”

In addition, service providers can access Northland’s ResourcePoint.org database for $150 annually. Most of its members are churches in the surrounding area.

The SACSON treasury has a balance of $2,204, now that the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has reimbursed the group for the printing cost of its information cards.

Patti Parker announced that 15,000 information cards have been printed and was available for distribution, earning a round of applause. SACSON borrowed from its treasury the $1,371 needed for the project but will be fully reimbursed by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement trust fund.

Treasurer’s report: Balance $712.80. ($1,371 will be reimbursed.)

The group discussed whether to relax the criteria for who can receive the seven-day Lynx passes in SACSON’s possession. Based on the standards in place at Goodwill of Central Florida, the passes are only given out to someone who can provide proof of employment. Tammy Grissom noted that the newly hired often do not receive their first paycheck for a week or two, and benefit the most from a weekly pass to get to work. Valeria Penny argued against loosening the standard, noting that job seekers would be unlikely to have multiple in-person interviews within one week. The group decided to leave the standard in place.

The group also discussed the continued need for a drop-in center in Seminole County, where the homeless could get multiple services, such as meals, showers and laundry. Among the many challenges: Where would it be located and where would the funding come from?

SACSON welcomed a new guest, contractor Jim Pavlakos, who said he wanted to do his part in helping the group’s mission.

The next SACSON meeting is Tuesday, May 10 at 6 p.m. The remaining 2016 dates are June 14, July 12, Aug. 9, Sept. 13, Oct. 11 and Nov. 8. There is no December meeting.

Jennifer Bero, program director for CBC-Community Initiatives, Inc., described the Pathways to Home program, which helps the homeless find housing and employment. Since its inception in 2009, Pathways has served over 700 children from more than 275 families. All families who completed the program were housed at graduation, and almost all adults found work, she said.

The key to the program’s success, she said, is a broad network of community partners and intense case management. “The plan really captures what their needs are,” she said. “They’re in the streets. They’re living in cars. They’re living in hotels.”

Emily Tallman, independent consultant for the Thinking For A Change mental health initiative described how the program helps people develop cognitive and social skills to pinpoint when their emotions may become out of control and learn ways to cope. Tallman said such simple steps as listening to others and giving compliments can defuse an intense situation. “Now you can start solving problems,” she said. The program was originally developed to help prison inmates.

Finally, the group heard from Verlese Pender, youth services coordinator for the FACTS children’s mental health initiative. Pender described how mental-health workshops, called Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), help people build self-esteem, find peer support, recover from trauma and cope with thoughts of suicide. The workshops also deal with learning personal responsibility and learning to avoid people and places that trigger unproductive thoughts. “You can use WRAP for anything and everything,” Pender said.

After the presentations there was some group discussion about whether homeless people fighting for basic survival would have the time to dedicate to some of these programs. Also, Bero was asked how her group decides who gets help among those who apply.

“That is very, very hard,” Bero said, acknowledging that the needs out there far exceed her group’s ability to help. The basic requirement is that applicants are caring for children, she said, and Pathways does plenty of referrals to other organizations.

Information Cards: Chair Parker said a request for funding is “going up the chain of command” at the Seminole Sheriff’s Office and these cards will have five new listings.

The group welcomed a guest, Brittney Clement, who will graduate this summer from UCF with a degree in nursing. The Casselberry resident will be moving to Denver soon and will pursue a career as a nurse practitioner.

With no guest speaker this month, much of the conversation centered on the difficulty at times of meeting the needs of the homeless who regularly move into the area. Pastor Tammy Abramson-Grissom told the group, for example, of a woman with four children who had nowhere to live. The mother had not been able to work because of medical issues due to a car accident. Housing is always a tough issue, with limited space at shelters, and local motels sometimes full even if someone provides the money. Catholic Charities of Central Florida was mentioned as one invaluable source of assistance. Mertis Pittman mentioned that the school social workers and Family in Transition (FIT) program are a great source of information and support when it comes to homeless children.

Guest speakers for March and April are Recovery House and Pathways to Home/Wellness Recovery Action Planning and Thinking For a Change mental health programs.

Patti Parker continues to search for one or more sponsors to pay for printing of the next batch of information cards.

Treasurer’s Report: Balance is $2,077.24. SACSON received a $76 donation from Holy Cross Episcopal and $23 in ‘Pass The Hat’ member contributions.

CareBag Project: SACSON received 300 first-aid kits from Magellan Complete Care and 200 blueberry oatmeal bars from Grace n’ Grits. Care bags will be given to the Sanford Police Department to distribute throughout the community.

Lynx bus passes: SACSON has 31 all-day passes and 20 7-day passes. The group will follow Goodwill’s procedure for employment verification for the 7-day passes, meaning whoever receives those passes must use them to get to and from an established job. The employment verification form asks for the company name, a way to contact a supervisor, date of hire, date of first pay, income and other information.

Guest Speaker Dr. Swannie Jett, Health Officer for the Florida Department of Health in Seminole County, discussed the strong ties between poor health and low income, especially among the homeless. Seminole is the third wealthiest county in the state, he said, but zip code data “masquerades” how many are needy and can’t afford preventative health care, don’t have stoves to cook nutritious food on, and so forth. The most chronically ill served by his department are largely among the homeless, he said. He also said various homeless advocacy groups need to make sure they are communicating with each other and not duplicating services, especially if they are requesting financial help.

Patti Parker informed the group that SACSON has finally run out of its 7,500 information cards and is still trying to nail down $1,065 in financing to print the next batch of cards, including a Spanish version. The good news is that 2,500 Spanish cards can be printed at no additional cost. Steve Fussell, Seminole County Division Manager for Community Development, reminded SACSON about the County’s Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).

Patti Parker presented the treasurer’s report and said SACSON’s balance is $1,978.24. The group received a $200 donation from Scott Abrahams and $65 in other donations and has ordered 20 7-day Lynx bus passes at a cost of $288. The group discussed the importance of making sure bus passes go to those who are using them to get to work. Goodwill asks for proof of employment before distributing passes and follows up to make sure the information provided is genuine.

It was reported that Rescue Outreach Mission, 1701 W. 13th Street, Sanford, opens its doors from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. whenever the temperature drops to 45 degrees or lower, and The Salvation Army, 700 W. 24th Street, Sanford, does the same when the low is 35 degrees or lower.

Steve Fussell informed the group that the Point In Time Count, an attempt to determine the homeless population both in and out of shelters, will be begin Jan. 27 and last through the following week.